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Zuckerberg declines invite to UK committee hearing on data privacy
Despite being asked, Mark Zuckerberg won't attend a British parliamentary hearing about Cambridge Analytica's data use. In a statement to Damian Collins, chair of Digital Culture Media and Sport Committee, Facebook's head of public policy for the UK Rebecca Stimson outlined all the ways Facebook would change its course of action (like telling people if their data was misused). Essentially, it was a rehash of Zuckerberg's statement from last week. What Stimson didn't do though, was promise Zuckerberg would arrive as requested, instead listing possible deputies that may be sent to the hearings in his place.
Facebook teases an app that makes live video look like fine art
In an interview at WSJD Live, Facebook's Chief Product Officer Chris Cox showed off an interesting AI-powered app that makes live video look like the work of famous artists like Monet or Van Gogh. Cox called it a "style transfer" tech, that essentially transfers the style of a particular painter to any moving image. From the on-stage demo, it looks a lot like Prisma, an app that adds art filters to your photos and videos. But while you have to wait several seconds for Prisma to work, the demo filter was applied live on camera through augmented reality.
Facebook's Instant Articles comes to all iPhones
In a blog post and at WSJD Live, Facebook has just announced that Instant Articles will now be available for all iPhone owners, with an Android beta rolling out starting today. That means that even more people will be able to read Instant Artlcles -- full news stories directly from the publisher -- right in their Newsfeed. An Instant Article link will have a lightning bolt icon at the top right corner. Facebook's Chief Product Officer Chris Cox said on stage that you'll start to see thousands of Instant Articles everyday.
Facebook is already making virtual reality apps
Facebook's head of Product, Chris Cox, says the company is already working on making versions of its apps expressly for virtual reality. The explanation, during an interview at CodeMedia, wasn't detailed but touched on the idea of being able to share your own environment with other users - a different way of sharing. "You realize when you're in it, that you're looking at the future, and it's going to be awesome. When you're in Facebook, you're just sending around these bits of experience - a photo, a video, a thought," added Cox. Making good use of that Oculus VR purchase, the product head reminded the audience that VR apps were still a while away, if only due to the fact that headsets are still nascent. Tiny user numbers will be another challenge before Facebook VR gets, literally, in your face. [Original image credit: AP Photo/Jeff Chiu]
